FIFA 15 | Lower League Gems – Target men

The Lower League Gems series is back once again, bringing you super cheap high potential players. If you liked the series on the best cheap players in FIFA 15 but felt they were too expensive, these are the articles for you – every player will cost you £1m or less!

NOTE: Prices seem to fluctuate a bit on FIFA 15, so you may find the prices listed in this article are slightly different on your game. As such, this article aims to be a guide only and hopes to highlight some of the cheaper options when it comes to high potential players.

If you’re not sure what these articles are all about, click the bold link below. Otherwise, let’s get straight in to the article.

Tonight I’m looking at target men – big strong strikers who excel at holding the ball up and winning aerial battles. They can use their size to hold off defenders and set up teammates, and their aerial prowess is ideal if you build your attacks through crossing. If you’re looking for a more mobile striker who will excel with the ball at their feet, you’ll need my article on goalscorers.

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These articles aim to highlight young, high potential players that are priced at £1m or less. If a player is not available to buy straight away, their maximum price (in the ‘Cost’ column; see below) is £500,000. Most articles will showcase players with a minimum potential of 76 (although in some cases having a minimum potential of 77 brought back more than enough players).

This year I made a couple of exceptions to the price rules. I have included players whose clubs want £1.1m for them (as opposed to a maximum price of £1m) because you can negotiate this down to under £1m, and in some cases excluding these players meant to articles were lacking players you could actually buy straight away! For the same reason I have bumped the £500,000 rule up to just under £600,000 (e.g. £525,000, £575,000, etc).

The ‘Cost’ column refers to the price your scout will bring back after he’s looked at the player. The ‘They want’ column refers to the price you will be quoted by the team if you enquire about their player. These enquiry prices are negotiable, so don’t be afraid to bid below what they want.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘Available?’ and refers to whether the player is available to buy in the first transfer window. The first letter indicates this (Y for yes, they are available and N for no, they are not), whilst the number refers to the length of their contract. Y/1 means the player’s contract is about to expire, so you should be able to get them for a discount price.

Finally, because EA release update squads every week, this could mean that some of the players listed in the article below are slightly different on your game. Furthermore, players sometimes exceed their potential, while it has been noted that occasionally players don’t grow as hoped. Therefore these stats are a guide only.

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Here are my recommendations for cheap, high potential target men.

Emiliano Sala: potential 77

Emiliano Sala combines pace and power at an amazing price

If you’ve been following my Lower League Gems series, you’ll know that sometimes an amazing player becomes available for a ridiculously low price. You know, the type of player who should be way out of the reach of most lower league teams. Emiliano Sala is one such player.

At 6’2″ and with 75 strength, he’s big enough to hold his own and act as a conduit for your attacks, so pair him with a couple of quick wingers; he can hold up the ball and play them into space. His height and heading accuracy make him a threat from crosses, but his 75 sprint speed means he’s also surprisingly pacey.

Unlike many target men he’s good with his feet: 72 ball control and 71 finishing buy xanax 0.5 mg mean he can score you goals even when there’s little space in the box. Add to that his 73 positioning, 74 stamina and 81 agility – amazing for a big guy – and you’ve got a great all-round striker.

For all that you’d expect to pay a few million, and his value of £875,000 suggests that might be the case. But enquire to Bordeaux and for some reason they only want £700,000 for him. That means you’ll only have to pay around £500,000 for him; with wages of £9,000, he’s an affordable target man who can make a real impact on your team.

Cauley Woodrow: potential 77

Cauley Woodrow may be much more attainable than Sala, and develops into a very similar player

Bidding for Sala is all well and good, but it may throw up some slight difficulties if you’re managing a lower league club. Because he plays for Bordeaux in the top French division, he may be reluctant to move to a team in a lower division. As well as that, his wages may not be affordable to all. This may not happen, but it’s something to consider. Luckily if you do find yourself experiencing difficulties, there’s a solution: Cauley Woodrow.

He’s a very similar player to Sala – quick, good strength, well balanced technical stats. Unlike many target men, who often have pace in the 50s or lower, Woodrow has 75 acceleration and 76 sprint speed, so he’s very mobile. But one of his best stats is his strength, which comes in at 71. This means he can hold the ball up and bring his teammates into play, but he’s quick enough to create opportunities for himself by beating defenders. His technical stats are also nicely balanced, so he should be able to do a bit of everything as he nears his potential.

And because he plays for Fulham in the Championship, he should have fewer qualms about moving to a lower league team. His wages are also more affordable, so he’s a great solution if you want a player like Sala but aren’t able to buy him.

Send off an enquiry and you’ll get quoted a price of £725,000, which means you can get him for around £500,000. His wages are £3,000.

Rodrigo Aguirre: potential 77

Rodrigo Aguirre is a brilliant target man who excels with his feet as well

When I pick my recommendations, I often try to choose players who are good in lots of different areas, and Rodrigo Aguirre exemplifies that. He makes for an excellent target man: his height of 6’1″ and his 72 jumping will make him a real threat from crosses, and he’ll score you a heap of goals that way. His heading accuracy is one of his best shooting stats, while his strength isn’t bad either.

But he’s much more than just a straightforward target man. Get the ball to his feet and he can beat defenders thanks to his superb 74 dribbling and 71 ball control. This means that not only can use his aerial ability to win battles when the ball is in the air, but he can make a real nuisance of himself when the ball is on the floor as well. That flexibility will see him contributing to your team whatever the situation.

Send an enquiry to Empoli and they’ll say he’s not available in the first transfer window, but ask again in January and they’ll want £700,000 for him – given that his value is £375,000, I would expect them to want at least £1.5m. His wages are £4,000.

See below for all the best cheap, high potential target men under £1m in FIFA 15:

Pos

Name

OVR

Pot.

Age

Cost (£)

They want (£)

Wages (£)

Club

Avai?

Foot

Weak foot

Skills

Traits

Notes

ST

Valerio Rosseti

66

80

19

525,000

*

7,000

Atalanta

-

Right

3

2

On loan from Juventus

ST

Boris Cmiljanic

62

79

18

230,000

-

1,750

PSV

N/3

Right

4

2

ST

Batuhan Altintaş

61

78

18

160,000

1,100,000

1,250

Bursaspor

Y/1

Left

3

2

ST

Abou Diop

65

78

20

425,000

*

4,000

Terni

-

Right

3

3

On loan from Torino

ST

Ante Rebić

66

78

20

575,000

*

6,000

RB Leipzig

-

Right

2

3

On loan from Fiorentina

ST

Cauley Woodrow

62

77

19

240,000

725,000

3,000

Fulham

Y/2

Right

3

2

Finesse shot

ST

Rodrigo Aguirre

65

77

19

375,000

-

4,000

Empoli

N/1

Left

3

3

ST

Antonio Sanabria

64

77

18

375,000

-

3,000

Roma

N/5

Right

4

3

ST

Andy Santanabria

64

77

18

375,000

Right

4

3

Free agent

ST

Marvin Ducksch

65

77

20

425,000

*

7,000

SC Paderborn

-

Right

4

3

On loan from Bor. Dortmund

ST

Gaëtan Laborde

64

77

20

425,000

*

4,000

Stade Brest

-

Left

3

2

On loan from Bordeaux

ST

Michael Frey

66

77

19

525,000

-

4,000

LOSC Lille

N/4

Right

3

3

Flair

ST

Emilliano Sala

69

77

23

875,000

700,000

9,000

Bordeaux

Y/3

Right

3

3

Team player

ST

Melvyn Lorenzen

59

76

19

110,000

850,000

2,000

Werder Bremen

Y/3

Right

2

2

Injury prone

ST

Serdar Azmoun

60

76

19

170,000

925,000

2,000

Rubin Kazan

Y/1

Right

4

3

ST

Marcello Trotta

65

76

21

425,000

*

5,000

Barnsley

-

Left

4

3

On loan from Fulham

ST

Kevin Friesenbichler

67

76

20

575,000

-

2,000

Lechia Gdańsk

N/4

Left

3

2

ST

Moussa Konaté

67

76

21

575,000

-

7,000

FC Sion

N/3

Right

3

3

Thanks for reading! If you have any player recommendations of your own and have some ideas for the website, make sure you let me know in the comments below.

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